FAYETTEVILLE — With a group of returning players that produced plenty of runs last year, Chambersburg is the favorite to win the Mid Penn Commonwealth Division in softball this spring.

Perhaps the biggest question the Trojans have is pitching, since four-year starter Mackenzie Stake graduated.

Kylee Miller

That question was answered in a very positive way in Chambersburg’s season opener on a chilly Tuesday afternoon at Norlo Park with a 7-2 victory over Red Land, in which starting pitcher Kylee Miller was nearly untouchable.

Miller threw six innings and was perfect until the Patriots’ Paige Bittner lined a single to centerfield to lead off the sixth inning. Miller struck out seven batters, did not issue a walk and had 44 strikes among her 62 pitches. She went to a three-ball count only one time.

Trojan coach Chris Skulkety — who won the 100th game of his career (100-29 total) — said, “The nice surprise was the way Kylee pitched. We knew she had the ability, but this was really her first chance to show it. And she pitched an absolutely great game. When she can throw her curve for strikes, which she did today, she’s dangerous.”

Chambersburg had issues against Red Land pitcher Grace Spangler for much of the game, but when the defense behind Spangler sprung some leaks, the Trojans capitalized. Spangler allowed seven hits, but six of the seven runs against her were unearned.

In the bottom of the third inning, Morgan Stockslager became the game’s first baserunner when her grounder to shortstop was thrown away. Two consecutive fielder’s choice grounders moved her to third, then Alyssa Brechbill hit a tapper to the shortstop hole and beat the throw easily for a run batted in.

After Brechbill swiped second, Hannah Runk scooted a grounder to rightfield to plate her for a 2-0 lead. Runk stole second and hurried home when Samantha Paetow’s hard grounder to short got through into the outfield to make it 3-0.

Skultety said, “She wasn’t throwing as fast as the pitching we had seen in scrimmages or in our practices, and we rolled over on a lot of balls. And she had a good drop ball. But we didn’t make any adjustments early.”

In the fourth, Carly Benedict adjusted. She bombed a high fastball over the fence in right-centerfield for a solo home run to make it 4-0.

In the sixth, after the first two batters made outs, Saleen Null singled, Karley Skultety reached on an error and Ashli Ganoe singled to bring in a run. An error on a grounder by Sophie Fetterhoff plated the sixth run and Brechbill’s ground-rule double to left-center made it 7-0.

“We did have a few good hits later in the game,” coach Skultety said. “We’ve been emphasizing hitting to the opposite field, but we only did that once today. We’ll be better.”

The Patriots scored two in the top of the seventh off reliever Katelin Secrist. An error put a runner on base and, with two outs, Annika Barbour picked on a full-count pitch and thumped it deep to left for a home run.

                                  Chambersburg 7, Red Land 2
                                      ab  r  h  bi                                                    ab  r  h  bi
Korri Brown lf            3   0   0   0         Alyssa Brechbill cf           4   1   2   2
Alexis Barker 2b        3   0   0   0         Hannah Runk ss               4   1   2   1
Karlye Strawser 3b   3   1   0   0          Sam Paetow, c                  3   0   0   0
Grace Spangler p       3   0   0   0          Alexis Reichelderfer cr  0   0   0   0
Annika Barbour ss    3   1   1   2          Kenzie Boyd lf                  3   0   0   0
Marina Cassatt 1b      2   0   0   0          Carly Benedict rf             3   1   1   1
Payton Myers ph        1   0   0   0          Saleen Null 3b                  2   1    1  0
Paige Bittner c            2   0   1   0          Abagail Newman ph       1   0   0   0
Tessa Knox cf              2   0   0   0          Morgan Stockslager dp  2   1   0   0
Clair Laur rf                2   0   0   0          Kylee Miller p                   0   0   0   0
Karley Skultety c              1   1   0   0
Katelin Secrist 1b             2   0   0   0
Ashli Ganoe ph                 1   1   1   1
Sophie Fetterhoff 2b       3   0   0   0
Totals                         24   2   2   2           Totals                               29   7   7   5
Red Land                   000   000   2   —   2
Chambersburg         003   103   x   —   7
E — RL 5; Chbg 1. LOB — RL 1; Chbg 4. 2B — Brechbill. HR — Barbour; Benedict (1). SB — Brechbill, Runk. CS — Reichelderfer.
Red Land Pitching
                                 ip  h  r  er  bb  so
Spangler (L)           6   7   7   1   0    2
Chambersburg Pitching
Miller (W,1-0)        6   1   0   0   0   7
Secrist                     1   1   2   0   0   0
T —  1:33.